Welcome to Wonderland
by BrokenWings66
Summary: In a world where power comes with a price, only those who have truly experienced tragedy are granted otherworldly powers. Welcome to Teiko Asylum of the Specially Gifted and Mentally Insane. Akakuro.
1. Prologue

There always is that strange longing I get if I stay away from it for too long. My heart seems to pump even slower than it already does and my mind always seems to wander to the land beneath the rabbit hole.

You want to know who I am? Well, I could tell you now, but I think I'll wait a bit later. It's been _years_ since I've had someone to talk to. Let's make this a game.

If you are able to tell me who I am by the end on the story, then I will let you leave. Until then, you will forever be stuck in here with me.

* * *

><p>Kuroko Tetsuya was by no means loud. Nothing about him screamed attention that so many human beings seem to crave. He had a faint presence, making him invisible to most, soft yet blank features that didn't make his appearance stand out. Pale blue eyes and hair that seemed to fade the more you looked at them and a quiet and introverted personality sealed the deal.<p>

And the boy liked it that way. He preferred not to be in crowds or have everyone's attention. He liked fading into the background while no one notices him. Or at least that's what he tells himself every day, once before breakfast, twice before lunch and once again before and after dinner. Why he would go to such lengths to convince himself, we shall never know, but what we do, is that Kuroko is very shy, but also very lonely. Because no one notices him, he has no one to confide in, no one to make him laugh, no one to make him smile, no one to tell him that he isn't just a ghost that no one cares about and ignores.

After trying to make a friend for years, he finally gave up. Accepting that no one can notice him, Kuroko stopped trying to get people to notice him. His life slowly faded to grey as the once vibrant colors of the world slowly melted away into nothing.

And no one knew.

No one cared.

The boy stayed in his large room, ignored even by his own family. No one seemed to have the time for him or was willingly to give their time for him.

I suppose that was when he finally began to fall.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to Akasuki Fatale and clarit for pointing out the formatting problem. I don't know what happened, but hopefully it won't happen again!<strong>

**-BrokenWings66**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**LOCATION: EDEN (REALM #2)**

The stars stared down at the boy from their high perch in the alluring darkness of the night sky. They glistened and glowed, little lights dancing across the sky, creating forms if you looked close enough. The waves lapped quietly against the rocks and shore, providing a lullaby of their own as the boy floated upon the water's surface. Eyes closed and cerulean hair glowing in the starlight, the boy's body gently rocked with the waves, his arms and legs at his side just beneath the water's surface.

The night was calm and occasionally a cloud would pass by and lay witness to the peculiar sight of a boy floating aimlessly in the warm, glowing sea. Bioluminescent organisms littered the ocean's surface like little glowing spots, creating a second sky. The two skies observed the sleeping boy, the stars from above and the sea surrounding him.

Gentle snores escaped his mouth as his body continued to rock with the waves. He never stirred an inch, unbothered by the glowing sea and gleaming sky. His body was covered only by long shorts that were thoroughly soaked, but not seeming to weigh his legs down. His pale skin seemed ethereal in the starlight; flawless and speckled with droplets of water which glistened like pearls from a mermaid. His long cerulean lashes defined his closed eyes and his pink lips were moist from the water. Two small pearls rested on each of his ears, held in place by a metal clasp in the back. One could easily mistake the boy for an otherworldly being.

The sea and sky were extremely curious, but wary of their actions. They didn't wish to wake the mysterious boy.

This wasn't the first time they had seen him here. He constantly came to this very beach and swam in the waters during the day and created a small fire and roasted fish at night. After putting the fire out, the boy would go for a late night swim and eventually begin to drift to sleep. Sometimes he slept on the shore, but more times than not, his eyes closed whilst at sea.

The sea and sky always watched over the boy. The sky was careful to never burn the boy during the day and dazzles him with the sight of the stars every night. The sea made sure no storms brewed while the boy was there and made sure he never drowned when he fell asleep or was swimming. Though they weren't aware of it, the sky and sea were very fond of the boy and found the greatest of joys while watching him going about whenever he visited. They were beings that have been present since the beginning, and they find few solaces in their eternal existence.

The boy enjoyed reading the story the stars danced for him every night while the ocean sang him a soft lullaby and rocked him to sleep. Though they weren't completely aware of their fondness of the boy, they knew that once his time came, they would be alone once again. None of this world's inhabitants could ever be as special to the sea and sky as the boy was to them. But they did not worry of those times. It was still a long time away.

Before either of them knew it, the sun had begun to wake and was stretching his rays along the horizon. The sea and sky knew they only had a few hours before the boy woke, so the sea placed a kiss upon the boy's cheek and the sky blew him a kiss from the heavens. The stars twinkled and bid their farewells as one by one they disappeared, replaced by light blue.

The sea carried the boy over to a soft seabed and kissed his cheek once more before receding back to the endless expanse of ocean. From a distance, the sea and sky waited as the sun began his rise into the sky and watched as the boy slowly arose from his deep slumber.

He sat up and yawned, stretching his limbs a little. He remained in a still position for a few minutes before slowly standing up and making his way onto shore.

Pale blue eyes stared at the blue morning sky and calm ocean, his face emotionless. He bowed and the sea and sky smiled. He always did this after he woke up every morning.

"Thank you for keeping me safe throughout the night."

He straightened up and turned to pick up his plastic bucket and shovel from the sand. His sandcastle laid as proof of his work as the boy walked to the ocean and rinsed his toys. Once pleased, the boy calmly walked away from the beach and into the foliage in the background. He made his way through the plants and trees, leaves wet from the morning dew and the air humming with early morning life.

He let his feet lead him to his destination while he continued to wake his mind from its drowsiness. Soon, the boy reached a cliff and without hesitation walked to its edge.

He murmured a few words and the empty space in front of him seemed to distort and eventually rip. Beyond the rip laid darkness, but the boy bravely walked forward, and the rip closed behind him. Only his wet footprints remained, and they too soon disappeared from the heat of the afternoon sun.

**LOCATION: EARTH (DEFAULT REALM)**

Kuroko calmly walked through the portal and stepped onto the cold floor of his room. He placed his sand toys by the window to dry and grabbed a towel and some clean clothes. Slowly, he opened his bedroom door and tiptoed through the hallway, careful not to wake anyone up. He soon made it to the male washroom and placed his clothes in his locker. He walked over to the showers and slid into one of the stalls.

He turned on the water and let it wash away the salt and sand from his body. Raising the temperature, Kuroko slipped off his swimming trunks and hung it off the side stall wall.

Grabbing the bottle of shampoo, he began to lather his hair and let his thoughts wander. It's been a while since he had last visited Eden. He almost forgot how pleasant it was to sleep just floating in the ocean, the water warm from the day's sunlight and the stars and water glowing with natural light. When he created the world, he based it off the paradise God created. Lush foliage and beautiful beaches dotted the coast while long plains of grass stretched for miles and stunning forests overtook the mainland. He put mountains near the west coast to mimic the mountains of Seirin and endless deserts in the Middle East to mimic the great desert of Touou. The vast Tokyo and Hokkaido oceans covered most of the world, the rest either covered by smaller seas and land.

It offered the perfect relaxing atmosphere. It has been in existence for ten billion years, so there were organisms roaming the planet, including humans. Kuroko had created Eden a few weeks before he moved to the asylum, after he stumbled across a bible in an alleyway. He read it, and decided to make a similar paradise, except this time, no forbidden fruit or tree and talking serpent.

When the humans finally established some sort of community a few ten thousand years ago, he made sure to keep gender discrimination to a minimum. Now the human civilization living in Eden was very much like the original humans from Earth, just with a few differences in behaviour towards each other and how they treated their surrounding environment.

For example, homosexual relationships were never seen as strange at all. Kuroko made sure that problems about the same gender loving the same gender was never thought poorly of (the fact that Kuroko was gay probably influenced that choice, but that's not important. Yet). Also, the humans of Eden were wary of all the ecosystems surrounding them, even the ones they themselves live in. They were careful not to cause too much pollution and keep their living area clean.

Now if only that could be applied to the industrial city of Teiko.

Oh, well, he thought. There's a reason he preferred his fabricated worlds to the real one.

Once clean, Kuroko turned off the shower, grabbed his wet but clean swimming trunks and dried himself off. Snuggling on his trousers and ivory button up, tucking it in and rolling the sleeves to his elbows, Kuroko strapped on his suspenders and walked out of the bathroom. He let his wet hair dry naturally, not bothering to comb it because it usually never helps with his naturally messy hair. It took him ten minutes at least until the stubborn strands stayed the way they were supposed to with a comb, and Kuroko was feeling lazy today.

_Maybe I'll drop by Daedalus later today, _thought the blunette as he dropped by his room and placed his wet swim suit on the clothing line outside his window. He closed the window and looked over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the time.

_7:26_.

Seeing how there was still over an hour before breakfast, Kuroko grabbed an empty knapsack and disappeared into a portal.

**xxxxxxx**

Kuroko emerged from the portal once again wearing peculiar looking clothes, re-entering his bedroom, no longer silent with the soft bustling outside his door.

His once empty knapsack was now filled to the brim with books. The blunette struggled to carry the bag because of its weight, but managed to lug it over into a corner and somewhat gently place it down onto the floor.

Exhausted, Kuroko slumped to the ground and took some deep breaths. He was once again thankful that he decided to change the time flow of Daedalus. He spent three hours in the library finding books to read. Daedalus was a world Kuroko created based off intellect. It was a world full of advance science and technology. Their scholars were highly intelligent and their technology was centuries ahead of Earth.

The Daedaluns were people naturally gifted with great intellect and wisdom. There were those who were not up to the standard intelligence, but they always made up for it in one form or another, such as creativity and imagination. It was those people who wrote the most amazing novels.

There was no such thing as a poorly written or bad book in Daedalus, but there were ones more fantastic than others.

Their endless library always brought a gleam to Kuroko's eyes, for they loved no more than to read a story and form the scenes within the mind, creating a play. Because he was always going off to Daedalus for books and to expand his knowledge, Kuroko rarely read books written on Earth. Occasionally there would be a book that could just barely keep up to Kuroko's now Daedalun-high expectation, but they never came often.

Lifting his wrist, Kuroko pressed a button on the neon blue wristband he was wearing and his clothes, currently consisting of a pale green high collar vest, the collar wide and stopping just below Kuroko's chin, zipped up to the top and it stopped just before Kuroko's belly button. Beneath the vest, Kuroko wore a fishnet tank top that (not really) covered the space of skin shown from the vest to the black shorts that hung loosely around Kuroko's hips. Thick and fat white shoes rested on his feet.

Immediately, those clothes were replaced with the outfit he put on after his shower. Standing up, Kuroko brushed off non-existent dust from his trousers and grabbed his brown plaid waistcoat. He walked to his door and entered the hallway, silently merging with the rushing bodies of all of the other teenagers. Technically, Kuroko turned 18 a few months ago, but he liked his room and did not wish to move rooms into the adult ward.

He continued down the homey hallway, the walls lined with light green wallpaper, white plant-like designs crawling over the green base. The windows let in the rays of the morning sun and Kuroko took a moment to bask in the sunlight. Nobody noticed the blunette and continued rushing by, as if there was no one there. But that was to be expected. The boy had been born with a low presence, therefore making him to notice. Occasionally, he would appear in a person's peripheral vision, but people usually brushed it off as a trick of the light.

Or dark.

At first, Kuroko hated his low-presence. For when people finally realized he was there, they would scream ghost, spirit, phantom, demon…. The list goes on. And in the end, they never seem to notice him afterwards. But recently, Kuroko has been finding it more useful rather than unbearable. He could go anywhere and no one would stop him and he could easily slip out without anyone noticing his disappearance.

He turned at the end of the hallway and continued down a corridor, made a few more turns before he finally reached the pretty white French doors that led to the mess hall.

Sighing, Kuroko opened the double doors and stepped into the noisy space. He eased by people, carefully weaving through the crowds until he finally reached the cafeteria line. He grabbed a blank grey tray and placed a solid plastic plate. He selected what he felt like eating for breakfast and placed it on his plate. It just barely took up ¼ of the empty plate. Also grabbing an apple and small carton of milk, Kuroko placed his tray on the weighing machine, the lady behind it not seeing him. He patiently waited a few seconds for it to stay on one measurement and price before swiping the card he kept secure in his pocket and removing the tray. The lady, already used to Kuroko's lack of presence simply smiled at where she assumed he'd be and said a cheery good morning.

Kuroko, being the polite boy he was, returned the greeting before leaving to find a table. While looking for a table, Kuroko passed by rows and rows of full and noisy tables, boys and girls of all ages piling on the seats, laughing, talking and eating. There was suddenly a `pop` and an object whizzed by Kuroko's face. He stopped in his tracks, his widen eyes the only indication of his surprised from the object. Had he been a few more steps forward, the object would've found a new home in his head.

But as expected, no one knew he was there, despite being right in front of them and how close they had been to killing him. Instead, everyone threw their heads and laughed and cheered. Kuroko collected his breath and continued forward.

"Tetsuya."

Kuroko halted when he heard his name spoken. Turning his head in the direction of the voice, pale aquamarine eyes met blazing gold red.

"Akashi-kun." curtly said Kuroko.

The redhead smiled at the blunette. "Would you like to have breakfast with us?"

No, Kuroko would not.

Akashi Seijuurou, a boy with miss-matching eyes. He was older than Kuroko and only a few inches taller. He had been at the asylum when Kuroko arrived, and they weren't exactly close enough to discuss deeply personal facts such as when he came to the asylum, so Kuroko wasn't sure how long he's been in this place. Some have been here as soon as they first awaken their power, while others come years later.

Akashi was known for being cruel and cold, a strict person who enjoyed winning. It was also said and proved that Akashi relinquishes the fact that he is a majority of the time correct. In fact, make that all the time. Everyone in the asylum had yet to see a day where Akashi was wrong.

The fiery redhead had the powers of foresight and the rare gift of yet another power, being a pyrokinetic, or fire bender. With his two powers, people never defied him, and even if he had only one power, Kuroko doubted that would've changed anything. Akashi was probably the most terrifying person in the whole world. He could make your blood freeze to ice and your legs weak with a simple glance. He also had a tendency to carry around red scissors that he made sure to sharpen in the most public of places every day to let people know he was always armed.

And Kuroko had the biggest crush on him.

Kuroko, not a naïve person, understood that the probability or Akashi being gay was less likely than the day that pigs sprout wings and fly. The pyrokinetic was as straight as an arrow, or at least that's what Kuroko's assumed from Akashi's behaviour. The blunette doesn't like making assumptions, but he couldn't just go up and ask Akashi if he was sexually attracted to the male species. Well, he could, but A, it was extremely rude, seeing how this was quite the conservative era, and B, it for sure would not end well. Because homosexuals were not regarded as human beings, Kuroko's has had to hide his sexuality since the time he realized his preference. Even when he goes to Eden, he has trouble just outright saying he's gay, even if it isn't a bad thing in Ediens' eyes.

But the poor boy couldn't help himself. Despite Akashi's reputation, he was for sure a handsome man. With his pronounced face and flawless skin, only the blind would say he wasn't stunning and aesthetically pleasing. His gold and red eyes burned whenever they turned to Kuroko and the blunette always thought that if he looked too long, he would be reduced to ash. Kuroko still had yet to experience Akashi happy, sad, or any other emotion in those categories, but has for sure seen cruelty, sadism, creepiness and whole lot of others. Yet whenever Kuroko talks to Akashi, he is always polite and very civilized, and not the demon people say, and Kuroko has seen, him to be. Kuroko simply considers himself lucky and does not add an hidden meaning to Akashi's actions. That would be childish and immature.

And so, Kuroko simply gazes from afar, keeping his feelings bottled up.

But of course, if it was only that easy. Akashi always invited him to eat meals with him and the rest of the group, so Kuroko wasn't sure why he always waited for an invitation. Also, no one sat too close to Akashi in fear of invading his personal space, so Kuroko somehow always seemed to sit next to the redhead. It definitely wasn't good for his heart, being so close to the person he likes and not being to reveal any emotion showing how he feels. And for some peculiar reason, Akashi always seems to see him, no matter how much he blends in with his surroundings. It both overjoyed Kuroko that someone could see him normally but also curious. What was special about Akashi that always made him be able to see Kuroko immediately? The blunette believed that it was Akashi's gift of foresight, so it didn't lay heavy in his mind. Yet once in a while, Kuroko would get a little feeling that the answer he created wasn't the right one. That there was another reason. But, Kuroko brushed it off, not wanting to bring his hopes up for anything when it came to Akashi. The man was as predictable as the universe.

But his torment was never seen, always hidden behind his perfect poker face that took years to polish. Even if the world was about to blow up, Kuroko had mastered how to hide his panic and it could only be told from certain movements he makes.

"There isn't any other space at other tables, so I thought I'd offer."

Kuroko snapped back to the present. "Ah, thank you Akashi-kun." Kuroko walked to the table and took his usual spot to the right of Akashi.

"Oi, Tetsu, why do ya always wait for Akashi to invite you? You're practically part of our group so I don't see why you always act like we are doing a favor to a stranger."

Kuroko looked up from his small plate of food to look at the navy head boy that just spoke. "Well, Aomine-kun, aren't I just a stranger? Despite me eating my meals with everyone, I don't really know much about everybody here and I doubt you guys know anything about me."

"Bah," scoffed Aomine, shoving a huge biscuit into his mouth. "I cwall bullwoit."

"Chew and swallow before speaking Aomine, that's disgusting. Although I guess I shouldn't be expecting much from you." The snarky scolding came from a tall boy with green hair and matching eyes framed by square black glasses. A small pig plushy sat next to his half-finished meal.

Yes, a pig plushy. Midorima was probably the most normal and reasonable person in the whole group, yet he had the biggest worship of Oha-Asa, a radio horoscope that played every day, and with it a new lucky item. No matter how embarrassing or ridiculous it was, Midorima always bought it and carried it around with him.

"What was that four-eyes?"

"I called you an idiot I believe. I assume you know what that means,"

Aomine shot straight up. "You wanna go, horoscope freak? Bring it on, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

"Sit down Dai-chan, you're making a scene." The fuming navy head listened to the pink haired girl's words and albeit reluctantly, sat down.

Kuroko shot a grateful look at the girl, known as Momoi Satsuki. She grinned back and blew a kiss to Kuroko from across the table. She was probably the most informed person in all of Teiko. Nothing happened without her knowing, making her terrifying in that light. In person though, she was a sweet and gentle girl and had the biggest crush on Kuroko. Childhood friends with Aomine, the hot-headed idiot, she came to the asylum with the other boy and was known as the Beauty in the loony bin.

"Did you have a good sleep Kurokoicchi?"

Kuroko looked at the beautiful blonde boy that addressed him. "I did Kise-kun, thank you for asking."

Kise smiled. "Any good dreams?"

Kuroko fork stopped midway to his mouth. Noticing this, Kuroko placed it back onto his plate. "I had a dreamless sleep Kise-kun, how about you?"

The blonde smiled and then began rambling about every dream he's ever had that was a pleasant one. Kuroko had long since perfected his ability to tune the blonde out.

Whenever Kuroko slept, he never saw anything, or at least that was the case after _that day_. He had neither nightmares nor pleasant dreams, just empty black space. It unnerved him at first, but he later accepted it, and realized he would never get a bad sleep. So, Kuroko found no fault or problem with never dreaming. He just made sure never to tell anybody. Occasionally, he'll say the truth, just now for example, but not too many times that people become suspicious.

The last thing he needs is someone telling the doctors and having to go through even more therapy.

Absently, Kuroko ate the last piece of food on his plate and gently placed his fork down. Akashi, noticing how Kuroko was finished in a matter of minutes, frowned.

"You really should eat more Tetsuya, only that much food isn't healthy."

Kuroko lazily glanced at Akashi before turning his head back to Kise. "I simply do not have a large appetite. I do not need much to pull me through the day."

Akashi snorted. "Daiki has an enormous appetite. Murasakibura has a large appetite while Shintaro, Satsuki, Ryouta and I have normal appetites. You however have little to no appetite. It would greatly trouble me if you were to get sick from malnutrition."

Kuroko held back a blush. They've had this conversation many times before, but Akashi never managed to succeed in making him eat more. Although he has been successful of convincing the lunch lady to give Kuroko less vanilla milkshakes, so Kuroko had to get his precious drink from elsewhere, which annoyed the blunette greatly.

Changing the topic, Kuroko noticed the lack of their tall purple haired member. "Where is Murasakibura?"

One of Akashi's slender eyebrows rose, but he answered anyways. "Atsushi is eating breakfast with Tatsuya. Apparently we're getting a new arrival and Tatsuya is to be the newbie's buddy. Of course that means Atsushi will follow them."

"A new arrival?" asked Kuroko.

"Yes," replied Akashi. "Apparently he's around our age. He's been living on the streets when one of our doctors noticed him. He was tested, and when it came out positive, papers were signed and he is to be brought here."

Kuroko looked thoughtful. "I never heard about this,"

Akashi shrugged. "Not many were told. I guess they wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. I guess by that he isn't a Severe."

Kuroko hummed in agreement.

Severes were Uniques, people like Kuroko and everyone else living in Teiko Asylum, that had gone through a particularly traumatizing and harsh experience and gained a power they could not yet control. For safety reasons, the arrival of a Severe was to be known to everyone and the instructions of how to act around a Severe were recited. Until deemed stable, Severes could not be with everyone in the asylum and was placed in the Special Ward. There, a therapist would daily visit and have sessions with the Severe until they can safely control their power without hurting themselves or others and is mentally stable enough to interact with other humans.

As one would assume, there were Severes that never got better, refused the treatment and let their power go crazy, along with their mind. Those people were known as Extremes and were put in the Danger Ward, quite a few kilometers away from the asylum. Extremes never lived long because they couldn't control their power and it would eventually consume its host. Then, the body would die and another life would be lost.

But not everyone knew this. The most the standard patient of Teiko Asylum would know about was Severes. Even Momoi only knew the existence of Extremes. Everyone had their suspicions, but no solid proof.

The only reason Kuroko knew all of this was because, a long time ago, Kuroko was an Extreme himself.

**xxxxxxx**

Well then, my precious prisoners, that is all I shall tell you for today.

Hm? What was that?

How will you all be able to guess who I am by the end of the story if I only tell you the tale?

Good question.

Very well then, I shall give you a riddle at the end of each chapter. By the time the last chapter is reached, I shall expect your answer.

_I am what at first is feared, and then later welcomed._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**LOCATION: EARTH (DEFAULT REALM)**

After breakfast, Kuroko excused himself and dropped his plate off by the cleaning station. He was about to go back to his room, when a hand grabbed his wrist, effectively stopping him. The blunette turned around to see Kise holding his wrist.

Raising an eyebrow, Kuroko gently pried his hand off and turned to face the blonde.

"Kurokoicchi, Akashicchi and the rest are going to go say hi to Murasakiburaicchi and Tatsuyaicchi and see if we can get more information on the new arrival! I thought you would like to come along."

Kuroko opened his mouth to turn down the offer, but before he could do anything, he was dragged away by the blonde idiot and hoisted over his shoulder.

"Great! I knew Kurokoicchi would come!"

Scowling to himself, Kuroko was helplessly carried over to the rest of the group. After many months of Kise somehow finding a reason to pick him up and drag him somewhere, Kuroko learned that struggling was fruitless because despite his looks, Kise had an iron grip. A few eyebrows were raised by bystanders, but when they reached the group, no one so much as blinked an eye.

As a last resort, Kuroko shot a helpless glance at Akashi to tell him to get the blonde to let go of him, but the devil only smiled and began to lead the way to the lobby. Now letting the scowl reach his face, Kuroko internally thought of different ways to kill the blonde in his sleep, and everyone except Kise seemed to feel his killing intent.

Soon, the group reached the lobby with its deep green walls and reception desk in the corner. A few comfortable couches were along the side and in the middle of the spacious room. A tall purple-headed giant sat on one of the middle couches munching on some chips while a boy with black hair smiled and chatted with an unfamiliar face.

"Is that the new arrival?" asked Kise, mainly to himself.

"By the looks of it, yes, but where are the nurses? They should always be near a new arrival," Midorima looked around the room as he finished his sentence.

Kuroko pouted and struggled to be put down so he could see the newest patient. He hated being picked up and didn't want the first thing the new arrival see about him being his rear.

Kise suddenly remembered he was still holding Kuroko, hastily put him down, and with a quiet huff, Kuroko straightened his clothes and gave Kise's foot a nice hard stomp.

Aomine snorted at the sight of Kise holding back a wail sitting down, rubbing his foot. "That's what you get for picking up Tetsu like that, baka."

Kise bit his lip, wincing at how his foot throbbed. "Shut up, Ahomine."

Aomine frowned. "I am not an aho."

"Are too."

"Am not,"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I AM NOT AN AHO!"

Faster than an eye could see, two scissors seemed to fly back Kise and Aomine, just barely grazing both of their cheeks. A dull _thunk_ was heard as two scissors embedded themselves in the closest wall behind the two idiots.

Kise and Aomine both gulped, sweat beginning to drip down their foreheads as they slowly turned around to face the Devil in his human form.

"Was it just me or was it particularly noisy in here?" asked Akashi, the temperature dropping a few degrees. His eyes narrowed and stared down Kise and Aomine, waiting for an answer.

The two began to tremble as if icy daggers were being stabbed into their body. "N-no," they managed to squeak.

Akashi smiled the I-am-a-creppy-mother-fucker-who-will-slice-your-throat-in-the-middle-of-the-night-if-you-disoby-me smile. "That's what I thought. Maybe I just need to get a little fresh air,"

The two nodded in agreement so much, Kuroko was surprised their heads didn't fall off. Deciding to save them from the awkward tension in the air moments, he turned to face Akashi, his aura still menacing.

"Come on Akashi-kun, let's go meet the new arrival. That's what we came here for in the first place, is it not?"

Immediately, the room felt a little warmer and Akashi was no longer wearing his creepy smile. Donning a normal smile, Akashi turned to Kuroko. "Ah, you are right. Let us not stall any longer."

Kuroko brushed this sudden mood swing off and followed the red-head while everyone else was frozen in shock. The blunette didn't notice the lack of people following them and soon was standing next to Murasakibura. The giant saw Kuroko and gently patted his head. Pouting slightly, Kuroko brushed off the giant hand.

Expecting that, Murasakibura patted his head again before giving the small blunette something.

Kuroko's eyes lit up and grabbed the vanilla milkshake the gentle giant was holding out towards him. He thanked Murasakibura and seemingly forgot about the hand still patting his head.

Akashi shot Kuroko a disapproving look but quickly turned back to Himuro. "Good morning Tatsuya, how are you today?"

Himuro, a person who never seemed to get annoyed, smiled at Akashi. "Good morning Akashi-san. I doing well, thank you for asking. I assume you already know, but we have a new arrival."

Kuroko took a moment to stop enjoying his milkshake and get a better look at the new arrival. He looked around his age with red hair and eyes, a few shades darker than Akashi's though. Large eyebrows lay above his eyes and a large, firmly built body leaned a bit stiffly on the couch. A bit shorted than Aomine, but Kuroko could already see some similar physical traits. Headphones were plugged into a Walkman, and Kuroko could just barely hear the music spilling out from their location on the new arrival's ears.

"This is Kagami Taiga. He's our age and I was hoping he could hang out with us just so he can get a feeling for how things go around here."

Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "I don't think they are the best choice Himuro-kun. I think it'd be better if you chose some other people."

Himuro looked at Kuroko, slightly surprised. "Ah, good morning Kuroko-san. My apologies for not noticing you earlier,"

Akashi frowned at Kuroko. "Are you saying that we are a bad influence Tetsuya?"

Kuroko shook his head. "No, I am simply saying since your group is a little, _extreme,_ it'd be best to let Kagami-kun to shadow (AN: pun not intended) other people to get a sense of what normality is like here."

"So you are saying that we aren't normal and calm enough?"

"Do you believe that you are?"

Akashi scoffed. "Of course we aren't normal."

Kuroko hummed in agreement. "My point exactly."

Himuro laughed, interrupting our discussion. "If it was anyone else, I would agree with Kuroko, but I have a feeling Taiga will fit in with you guys swimmingly."

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "Already on a first-name basis Tatsuya?"

Himuro laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly from the jealous look Murasakibura was sending. "Well, he is my brother after all."

A second passed by, just letting the words sink in.

Kuroko was the first to break the silence. "I didn't know you had a brother Himuro-kun."

Scratching his head, Himuro offered a thoughtful smile. "He and I aren't related by blood, but we were both raised by the same woman after both of our parents died. We always stayed together back then and although we didn't share the same DNA, we consider each other brothers."

"How come I never heard about him Muro-chin?" asked Murasakibura.

Himuro's expression turned pained. "I never said anything about him because I never thought I'd see him here."

The subject was immediately dropped.

Changing his expression back into the familiar smile that everyone was used to, Himuro clapped his hands together. "Well then, I hope the nurses aren't much longer. They had to go and sign some papers that unfortunately could only be signed once Taiga was brought here."

As if by command, two ladies appeared from behind the reception desk and walked towards Kuroko and the others.

Aomine and the rest still hadn't come over to greet the new arrival, so Kuroko turned back to look at them, only to see them having a frantic whispering conversation. Kuroko watched amused as a lot of hand motions were used and how everyone's facial reactions constantly changed. Deciding to bring them over to greet Kagami, Kuroko strolled over to the group.

"-saying it as if it was possible!"

"Come one guys don't be cruel, he is still a human,"

"That doesn't mean we don't have a right to be surprised by this! When you think about it though, it's kinda obvious,"

"Yeah, at first I thought he was just being polite, but that totally just proved it more,"

"Proved what more?"

All four of them screamed at Kuroko's sudden appearance.

Momoi fainted and Aomine caught her before she hit the ground. "Holy crap Tetsu, how much did you hear?"

"What proved what more?" replied Kuroko, repeating his question.

Aomine gave him a blank look before seeming to snap out of it. "Uh, um, n-nothing,"

Kuroko narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but didn't continue to push. "I came over to tell you guys to meet the new arrival, Kagami-kun."

"Oh really!" said Kise, a tad too quick to be considered unsuspicious. "Well then, let's go over to meet him, hm?"

Still suspicious, Kuroko slowly nodded and watched the group migrate over to where Akashi and Himuro were casually chatting. Apparently the screams seemed to cause Kagami to frantically take off his headphones and give the new place a terrified once over. Staying behind, Kuroko watched with curiosity how the group interacted with the new arrival.

Kise offered a bright and overly optimistic greeting, sparkles and flowers practically visible behind him. As most of the rest of the group, Kuroko could tell that Kagami immediately dubbed Kise as the "idiot" and was already teasing him.

Midorima acted as his usual tsundere like self and Kagami had mixed feelings about the guy. He could be trusted to a certain extent. Only Takao seemed to be able to fully love Midorima and his tendencies to be a slap to the face and then a caring mother hen.

Momoi regained conscious after a few minutes and patted Aomine's arm to let him know that he could put her down now. Once she had regained her bearings, Momoi introduced herself to Kagami, leaving the new arrival as a stuttering mess. Kuroko laughed quietly to himself as he watched Aomine suddenly put himself in between Kagami and Momoi. This ended up as a physical and verbal fight as punches were thrown and "Ahomine" and "Bakagami" could be heard throughout the lobby.

It turned out Kuroko's prediction was correct. The two were like copies of each other. Both had a short temper and never thought about how they acted and what they said.

The nurses were frantically trying to stop the fight, not wanting Aomine to beat Kagami into a pulp and make the new arrival hate the institution. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything, so as a last resort, the nurses shot a helpless glance at Akashi.

The red head sighed, grabbed the scissors embedded in the far wall and stalked over to Aomine and Kagami. The quarrelling boys both too caught up in the adrenaline of the fight did not notice Akashi's warning aura, and both suddenly halted their movements as they felt sharp blades held against their necks. Aomine's usually tanned skin seemed to lose its vibrancy as he internally cursed at himself for being stupid enough to anger Akashi twice in a row.

Since Kagami was a newbie, he did not yet know of Akashi and the danger of angering him. Pissed, the taller redhead looked down at Akashi and glared, trying to become menacing.

"What the hell are you doing shorty?"

The room once again lost its warmth, and Kuroko silently pondered if anyone was going to get hypothermia from the constant temperature changes. Himuro's face slowly turned panicked as Akashi did not answer Kagami, but his presence suddenly became denser and that much more deadly. The silence hung heavily on everyone's shoulders, no one daring to make a sound.

"I understand that you are fairly new to this whole concept of living in an asylum and having extraordinary abilities, but I had hoped the outcome I foresaw would be the one where you don't insult me. For your own sake."

Kagami, finally coming down from his high, suddenly felt the surrounding atmosphere and how it all seemed to radiate from the silent man in front of him. He already knew not to judge a person by their outwards appearance and was working on thinking before acting, but of all times for it to fail him, the red head regretted it now most of all times.

Once second, Kagami was standing still, staring petrified by Akashi, the next, he was rammed into the wall, cracks forming from the force. Groaning, Kagami slumped down and clutched his head. His hand came away with a little bit of blood, a small trickle already flowing down the side of his face. Before anyone could react, two blood-red scissors came flying at Kagami, one on each side of his face, leaving thin yet deep cuts on both of his cheeks. The poor new arrival's body immediately stiffened, alert and then slumped back down again.

Akashi began to walk towards him, his murderous intent still overflowing. The nurses and doctors were too scared of Akashi to intervene and everyone else didn't dare move, too scared of the consequences of getting in Akashi's way.

All except Kuroko.

This wasn't the first time he's seen Akashi go murderous and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Last time he stopped the homicidal red head by talking to him and diverting his attention, so Kuroko bravely stepped in, intending to do just that.

Akashi had a third pair of scissors in his hand with Kagami's name written all over it.

"Akashi-kun," said Kuroko, his voice soft and gentle, not commanding. Akashi never liked to be the one following orders, especially whenever he got like this, so Kuroko had to make sure his voice didn't sound like he was imposing on the red head.

Akashi stopped and turned his head to stare at Kuroko. His blazing gold and red eyes bore into Kuroko's, but the smaller boy did not back down.

"I'm sure Kagami-kun had no idea what he was talking about. He is a new arrival and ignorance is to be expected." Akashi growled in disagreement, but did not take another step forward.

Seeing this, Kuroko pressed on. "As you've notice, Kagami-kun is very similar to Aomine-kun. Both of them are idiots. They do not take heed of what they say before it escapes their lips."

Aomine opened his mouth to protest, but Momoi quickly stomped on his foot, effectively making him shut up.

Akashi's eye flickered from Kuroko's eyes down to a lower point of his face, but it was too fast to be sure where.

"I'm sure that Kagami has now learned his lesson and will not repeat the mistake. Isn't that right, Himuro-kun?" Kuroko shot the ravenette a desperate look, and catching on, he nodded.

"Oh yes, for sure Akashi-san."

Slowly, Kuroko took some steps forward. Inch by inch he got closer to Akashi, still staring at him, but the tension in the air had significantly lessened. Soon the blunette was millimeters apart from Akashi. He could smell the faint yet distinctive scent of cinnamon and apples coming off from Akashi, and it took all of his willpower not to blush and keep his mind on task.

Carefully, Kuroko reached out for Akashi's scissors, making his every movement seen so that Akashi did not think there was someone sneaking up on him. Strangely, the red head seemed to pay no heed to Kuroko's actions and Kuroko wondered if there was something on his face the way Akashi was intensively staring at him. It was far from unpleasant, and that was also far from helping the rushing heat threatening to paint his cheeks. The look felt almost, well, intimate.

Kuroko gently grabbed the scissor blades and tugged them out of Akashi's grasp. Undoubtedly Akashi had another pair somewhere on his body, but Kuroko decided not to worry about that. Once it was successfully out of Akashi's hands, Kuroko placed them in one of his trousers' pockets. Daring himself, Kuroko shyly met Akashi's stare and felt as if lightning had struck him.

His body seemed paralyzed, and Kuroko knew that the red head had no such power. Yet the heterochromatic eyes pulled him in, like a quiet lullaby, singing sweet songs in his ears and numbing his senses. The blunette let his eyelids drop slightly and somehow, he was even closer to Akashi, their bodies almost flushed against each other. The red head leaned in, but the movement seemed to pull Kuroko out of his trance, and the blunette pulled back, retreating a few steps.

Reality came crashing back in, and Kuroko had to reorient himself. Blinking a few times, the blunette looked at Akashi who appeared just as confused as him. Kuroko willed his burning cheeks back into neutrality and his momentarily broken poker face was re-established.

Akashi also seemed to regain his bearings and briskly walked out of the lobby. As soon as he turned the corner, the nurses went rushing to Kagami, one of them calling a doctor.

Kuroko took a few deep breaths, excusing himself and went straight to his room.

Slamming the door behind him, Kuroko leaned against his door and slowly slid down, he covered his bright red face with his hands, flustered and embarrassed. Akashi was _never_ like that. It was the first time Kuroko had received any hint that maybe, _just maybe_, his crush reciprocated his feelings. It made his heart soar right out of his chest and feel emotions he's never felt before. Even when he came up with other plausible reasons for Akashi's actions, nothing seemed to make his heart slow down and get rid of this giddy feeling.

It felt…..nice.

Well, nice for lack of better words. Kuroko could go outside and scream his lungs out in joy and skip in the hallways, turning into girl along the way. That feeling of euphoria was better than any other drug Kuroko had ever had, and he never wanted it to end.

Yet it also terrified Kuroko. This was the first time he's ever felt this way, and he didn't know how to act, or what it meant. And Kuroko was never fond of the unknown.

The air surrounding him suddenly felt suffocating and his face wouldn't stop burning. Deciding that he couldn't stay here, Kuroko quickly stood up, grabbed his knap-sack full of books, and opened a portal to a world he created just for the purpose of relaxing.

**LOCATION: BRITTIA (REALM #9)**

Kuroko found himself alone on a small island, around the size of the lobby with a few tall palm trees. Warm white sand made it difficult for Kuroko to walk, so he removed his shoes and socks, placing them by a palm tree and made his way to the hammock he made and hung in between to close trees. By the hammock, a bin full of clothes stood tall, and Kuroko stripped himself of his current clothes and put on a pair of comfy white cotton shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned, exposing his pale chest to the golden rays. He also pulled out a headband to keep his hair out of his eyes and finally stretched and stared at the expanse of ocean surrounding him.

Crystal clear water sparkled all around, creating a beautiful picture. Small waves lapped against the shore, but no birds were heard or seen. Nearby islands similar to the one Kuroko was standing on were silent, but the smoke coming out from beneath the trees revealed other life.

The natives of Brittia were kind people and he was good friends with them. Whenever he needed a good meal, he always made his way to the main island with his boat currently docked against the small wood dock behind the hammock. They were also maters of cooking. Kuroko could crack a coconut open on his island or fish, but sometimes he wanted something better.

The blunette placed his book bag down and randomly fished out a novel. He settled into his hammock, but just before he began to read, Kuroko changed the time flow between Brittia and Earth.

Once done, Kuroko opened his Deadalun book and dived into the world of books, effectively forgetting everything.

**LOCATION: EARTH (DEFAULT REALM)**

"Is he still there?"

"Yes sir. Ever since he was 13 years of age."

The man who previously spoke sighed. "I already know that. I mean, is he currently in _this _wold?"

"Um" the other voice panicked. He didn't know, and not knowing was never a good thing. "I-I'm not sure sir. No agents have made contact with him yet,"

Silence reigned.

"You don't know?"

The man gulped. "I-I'm sure contact will be made soon, the agents are highly skilled and will for su-"

The speaking man was cut off short by a bullet in his head.

"I hate not fucking knowing."

The man snapped his fingers and two burly sized men walked through the oak doors and carried the corpse out of the office.

"I will catch you in due time Kuroko Tetsuya. And when I do, you will be the ultimate tool."

**xxxxxxx**

Kuroko sneezed as he walked through the portal back into his room.

"Someone's talking about me," he murmured.

He finished three books back in Brittia, and damn, were they good.

Tired, Kuroko looked at his clock, showing that he had about a half hour before dinner. Deciding not to take and shower and just be lazy, Kuroko plopped onto his plump bed and sighed. There was nothing more relaxing than spending two days in Brittia on his own personal island. There was a festival on the main island, so Kuroko made sure to catch a water taxi to take him there. There were fireworks and stalls set up all along the roads. Food was roasting and everything tasted fantastic. Kuroko was now ready to deal with his current situation and not mess it up.

_Okay,_ he thought, _just act normally. It will make the situation more awkward if I act different and nervous_. Repeating that a few times to himself, Kuroko changed out of his trousers, vest and shirt and replaced them with simple shorts and a cotton tunic. Stretching, Kuroko sighed and lay down on his bed again. Soon, he reached that plane in between falling asleep and staying awake. It was then he heard the shouts of other boys outside in the hallway and Kuroko reluctantly pushed up, leaving his room for dinner.

Once in the mess hall, Kuroko was greeted by the usual cacophony of noise and made his way to the buffet line. Tonight's special seemed to be Cream of Broccoli and spaghetti and meatballs. Kuroko grabbed himself a bowl and filled it just under halfway and placed a small amount of pasta onto his plate. He grabbed a clean cup and poured himself a glass of ice water from a pitcher and casually walked over to the lunch lady. Swiping his card, Kuroko left to look for Akashi and the others, and obviously soon found them.

But this time, there was a new head among the rainbow. Kuroko internally smiled to himself as he neared to the table. He was glad that Kagami was getting along with everyone in the group despite what had happened earlier. Though his injuries looked almost completely healed.

That was strange. It was impossible to heal that quickly in only a few hours. Maybe he had a faster healing rate compared to normal people He wouldn't be the first person to have that power. Which reminded Kuroko that he never introduced himself and found out what Kagami's power was.

Kuroko reached the table and took his usual seat beside Akashi. The red head seemed to be in a vivid conversation with Midorima, so he didn't notice Kuroko's arrival. The blunette took note that Takao and Himuro were eating with everyone else, both also seeming to take part in the conversation between Akashi and Midorima. Actually, everyone seemed to be adding a thing or two to the discussion. Curious, Kuroko started to pay attention to what they were saying.

"-been a week, no one has a clue."

"I'm sure he's fine. According to the nurses, this isn't the first time he's done this,"

Momoi looked surprised. "You mean he's been gone for this long before?"

Midorima nodded. "Apparently. I have no idea where he goes, though,"

Kagami took a second between his bites of an overly stuffed plate. "I wonder-_chomp_- when I'll-_chew_-get to meet-_swallow_-this Kuroko guy everyone one keeps on talking about."

Kuroko frowned. "I'm right here," he said.

Everyone except Akashi let out a girly shriek and fell off of the benches. Akashi simply did a double take and his eyes grew wide and his breathing picked up.

"Holy fuck Tetsu,"groaned Aomine. "What the actual fuck?!"

The whole cafeteria was silent and everyone was staring at the current people on the floor. Kagami let out a rather colorful couple of sentences before sitting back up and glaring at Kuroko.

"I assume that this is the guy then?"

Kuroko blinked, confused. "Ano, I know that I can scare you guys sometimes, but this is by far the biggest reaction I've gotten so far. Did something happen?"

Midorima sat up, readjusting his crooked glasses. "Did something happen?" he echoed. " Do you think we're idiots?"

Kuroko was seriously confused.

"Kuro-chin, you've been missing for a week." said Murasakibura, munching on his chips down on the floor, not even attempting to stand back up.

Kuroko's eyes widened. "A week!?" He furrowed his brows. Judging from Akashi's reactions, they weren't lying, but how was it possible for him to be away for week!

Suddenly, realization dawned upon the blunette. He must've done the time flow management incorrectly and making time slowdown in Brittia. So much that two days equaled seven back on Earth. Kuroko internally cursed at himself. He never checked it after he supposedly set it after he first entered the realm. He was too caught up in his books and the events going on around him and completely slipped his mind.

Donning his neutral expression back on, Kuroko casually began to eat his dinner.

"So," cut in Akashi. "Are you going to tell everyone where you were?"

Kuroko was tempted to continue eating and pretend he didn't hear him, but even he could tame Akashi only so much.

"I apologize for not informing every one of my leave, but ended up staying longer than I originally expected."

Akashi raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "You did not answer my question Tetsuya."

Kuroko looked down at his plate, but kept his voice strong. "Where I went is of no importance or concern to anyone Akashi-kun."

"And what if it is simply to cure my curiosity of where you could possibly go to that the doctors and staff had no way of reaching you and still seemed unconcerned."

Now it was Kuroko's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Unconcerned?"

"Yes," replied Momoi. "They acted as if it was no big deal that you were missing. They even said you've been missing for long periods of time before in the past."

"Really," mumbled Tetsuya, mostly to himself. It was true that he had done this before, except those times not by mistake, and the longest he believed he was gone for was around two months. The nurses and doctors were very worried and frantic when he finally returned and he had to sit through a two hour long scolding. Since then, Kuroko's been trying to not stay away for such a length of time that people would be worried. This was the first time he's been missing for a period of time since he started hanging out with Akashi and the rest of the group. He didn't expect them to be worried before, but he was currently proved wrong.

He could tell that everyone at the table aside from Kagami had spent at least a thought of worrying for Kuroko.

But Kuroko still didn't want to tell them. Not many people knew what his power was, but a majority assumed it was invisibility.

Sighing, Kuroko finally looked up at Akashi, still waiting for an answer. "Well then Akashi-kun, I would tell you to mind your own business and that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I would then say I do not understand why you and everyone else were so worried for me. As the doctors said, this isn't the first time I've done this, so there shouldn't have been a reason for the unnecessary drama."

The air turned quiet, the background noise of other patients talking seemingly fading away from the heaviness of the tension. Not many were brave enough to stand up to Akashi, no matter how close they were to him. Mostly because everyone was terrified of the res head.

Kuroko understood that to some point. It was true that Akashi was intimidating and threatening when he wanted to be, and probably wouldn't think twice about killing you, but that didn't mean he was some sort of monster.

No one deserves to be called a monster. Especially Akashi. The true monsters of the world rest outside of the asylum. Here, Akashi was simply a human who enjoyed exercising control and fear.

Frightening, but human none the less.

That was why Kuroko saw no reason to treat him as if he was a blood thirsty monster ready to kill him at one wrong word.

Blood thirsty human, more than likely, but still not a monster.

Kuroko stood up with his plate and bowl and left the table. He could no longer stand the tension in the air and felt uncomfortable. Dumping the extra food into the trash, Kuroko left his plates at the cleaning area and left the mess hall.

He was a few turns away from his room when a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him against the wall. His arms were forced up and held there by a hand with an iron grip.

Startled blue eyes met glowing red gold as Akashi pushed his body flushed against Kuroko's, effectively making it impossible for the blunette to escape. The red head was undoubtedly stronger than he appeared and clearly used the fact that Kuroko was weaker to his advantage.

Their faces were dangerously close, faces only millimetres apart.

"You want to know why I care so much?" murmured Akashi.

Kuroko wasn't able to answer as Akashi's lips came crashing down on his.

**xxxxxxx**

That is the end of this chapter my dear prisoners. May you all eagerly await the next.

I am the one who cares about him and understands him the most; yet I am the one who drags him off the road.

**xxxxxxx**

**Well, that's chapter 2 done and over with. Kinda left you guys on a cliffhanger, but I regret nothing!**

**Also, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday!**

**-BrokenWings66**


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